Zag fans: 'Declaring' doesn't always mean 'leaving'

Memo to Zag fans…

Please don’t throw yourself into the nearest lake, river or bathtub.

At least not yet.

Judging from the emails that have been zinging in here, Zag Nation might as well be attending a memorial service for the basketball program.

Here’s an example: “Mark Few hasn’t really had to struggle with a true rebuilding season, but there’s one coming now since the entire team is leaving school.”

Spare yourselves, folks.

Here’s the key phrase you want to keep in mind this week, and perhaps for most of May…

Just because an underclassman “declares” himself eligible for the NBA draft doesn’t mean he’s definitely leaving Gonzaga.

There is a deadline coming — this Sunday at 9 p.m. — for any players who wish to “declare.”

If you don’t submit your name by that time, you cannot be part of the draft process and thus you’ll probably be back playing college basketball next season.

But remember, “declaring” only means you wish to be eligible.

THIS MIGHT be taking things a wee bit too far, but I could declare myself eligible to become lead columnist for Sports Illustrated.

What do you suppose the chances are that my agent (assuming I could get one) might convince SI that I should be their No. 1 pick?

Right.

Let’s apply this to four specific Zags, who have a million times better chance of being selected for the “next level” than I would.

In addition to Rui Hachimura and Brandon Clarke, we should expect to hear that Killian Tillie and Zach Norvell Jr. will declare themselves eligible for the draft.

Of the four, only Hachimura is basically certain to go.

Clarke is next, but with an asterisk.

Keep repeating to yourself that “declaring” only means these guys have entered the process.

They are allowed to hire agents, and investigate what NBA scouts and GMs think of their chances in the league.

There is an official NBA combine – by invitation only to around 60 of the best draft prospects — plus assorted other combine-like events at which players can showcase their skills.

All of these shop-window marathons occur in May, and then players have until May 29 to release their agents — which would allow them to play another year at Gonzaga.

THIS IS a change, by the way.

In previous years, players could not hire agents if they wanted to sniff out their prospects as potential NBA players before taking the leap.

Two years ago, Johnathan Williams did exactly that and made the wise decision to withdraw from the draft.

This time around, there are a couple of serious question marks surrounding the Zags who already have, or are likely to, “declare” for the draft.

Clarke, as exciting and talented as he is at the college level, doesn’t have a set position in the pros — and he would need to be a great fit with a specific team to be a really high draft choice.

He may hear that he should return to college, spend a bit more time away from the basket — perhaps letting Filip Petrusev or freshman Drew Timme bang away nearer the rim — and prove he can be a 3-point threat.

Several scouts believe that Clarke’s game would have been enhanced if he’d played alongside a true pivot, rather than another forward like Rui.

Sample size is limited here, but the Zags were statistically more effective with Clarke and Killian on the floor together than Clarke and Hachimura.

Plus, there just aren’t many 6-8 centers in the NBA.

TILLIE’S GAME is almost perfect for this new, stretch-the-floor NBA, but there will be considerable doubt about whether he can stay healthy.

However, even if Tillie needs another year to prove his durability and, say, become a lottery pick…

He could choose a return to France and find competition in European hoops — getting paid for his labors while he displays his fitness.

Or he could come back to Gonzaga.

Norvell Jr. is likely to hear that there are aspects of his game that need smoothing out, and since he’s ticketed to be the No. 1 point guard for the Zags next year, his best course quite likely will be staying in school.

See what I mean?

There is no need to panic on Sunday, when most of the roster will seem bound for the NBA.

“Declaring” doesn’t automatically mean leaving, so May 29 is your critical date.

And THEN you can panic.

Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns for The Press appear on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. He also contributes the “Zags Tracker” package on Gonzaga basketball once a month during the offseason.

Email: scameron@cdapress.com